"How Do You Know If the Festival is a Scam?" Martha Shane on Narrowsburg

A well-meaning regional film festival can be welcoming and tightly curated--a true community endeavor. A bad one can be a deceitful scam. Such was the case with the Narrowsburg International Independent Film Festival, founded in 2001 by a couple from nearby New York City. Things didn't start out so rocky. After a successful first year and an inaugural picture show in the books, the husband and wife wanted to expand upon the event (and the town's exposure) by featuring its setting and community i...